Open Elder Care Markets: An interview with Dr. Alfred Chan

Professor Alfred Chan Cheung Ming, better known as Dr. Alfred Chan, is chairman of the Elderly Commission of Hong Kong. Elder care is an important topic in Hong Kong – the elderly population is increasing by more than two percent annually. I spoke with Dr. Chan recently about the work he and the Elderly Commission are doing. In his interview, which you can read in full here, he describes the three largest challenges of elder care: an unsustainable financing model, a lack of human resources, and a need to extend services to a greater number of people in Hong Kong.

He also describes his hopes for an open elder care market in Hong Kong, meaning that both nongovernmental organizations and the private sector play complementary roles in the healthcare system. In this open market system, Dr. Chan explains that the government would provide funding to elderly who cannot afford to pay for elder care services. The funding would be in the form of voucher schemes. People who could afford it would pay for a part of their preferred services.

You can read my full interview with Dr. Chan here.